Climate action: NGO enlightens 20,000 university students on plastic pollution – EnviroNews

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U-Recycle Initiative Africa, an award-winning youth-led non-governmental organisation advancing environmental education, circular economy solutions, and climate action in Africa, has trained over 20,000 youths across four federal universities in Nigeria through the second edition of its flagship multi-year initiative, PlasticWize 2.0.

The PlasticWize 2.0 initiative, themed “Redefining Sustainable Campuses in Africa”, empowers students to lead localised environmental and climate solutions, with a strong focus on long-term systemic and behavioural change. This places young people at the centre of Africa’s sustainability transition to circular economy systems, including in educational institutions.

This scheme has been implemented at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). The project receives support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the largest environmental funder globally, with technical assistance from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

A key component of PlasticWize 2.0 is the Behavioural Change Outreach, also known as Eco-Campus Outreach, a groundbreaking six-month youth campaign that combined storytelling, humour, and art to catalyse eco-friendly behaviours in university students. Grounded in behavioural science, the campaign promotes a long-term reduction in single-use plastic consumption through multiple engagement strategies and has reached more than 20,000 students across Nigeria.

One of the outreach’s core strategies was Eco-Talks – brief, high-impact sustainability sessions delivered in lecture halls by trained PlasticWize student ambassadors. Supported by creative infographics and teaching aids, these sessions educated students on seven practical ways they can take action to curb plastic pollution.

Another key component was the #iAmPlasticWize Challenge, a 10-day gamified experience that transformed eco-friendly habits into a fun, insightful, and impactful journey for students, engaging over 1,200 participants.

The outreach also featured the installation of eco-themed signage, including billboards and posters placed at strategic locations across participating campuses. These installations served as constant reminders, encouraging behavioural change around the excessive use and improper disposal of plastic.

As part of the outreach, the U-Recycle Initiative Africa also launched a comic book titled “Kola & the Plastic Bottle”, which was developed as a creative educational tool to make sustainability messaging more relatable and engaging for students. All participants in the 10-day #iAmPlasticWize Challenge received free access to the PlasticWize comic book as part of their learning experience.

In recognition of outstanding participation, four grand winners of the challenge were selected to receive ₦250,000 scholarships following a rigorous evaluation of participants’ performance. The winners include Hameedah Raji of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; Olamiposi Olasanoye of the University of Lagos; Adebayo Olugbenga of Obafemi Awolowo University; and Favour Orukpe of the University of Benin.

Overall, PlasticWize 2.0 by U-recycle Initiative Africa aims to cultivate a new generation of eco-conscious youth leaders, driving sustainable action and accelerating Africa’s transition to a sustainable future without plastic pollution. U-recycle Initiative Africa continues to champion youth-led environmental innovation, equipping African youths with world-class experiential training, circular innovation, and research since 2018.

By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja